''The Impatient Patient'' is a 1942 Warner Bros. ''

Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American animated comedy short film series produced by Warner Bros. starting from 1930 to 1969, concurrently with its partner series '' Merrie Melodies'', during the golden age of American animation. ...

'' cartoon directed by Norman McCabe. The cartoon was released on September 5, 1942, and stars

Daffy Duck Daffy Duck is an animated cartoon character created for Leon Schlesinger Productions by animators Tex Avery and Bob Clampett. Styled as an anthropomorphic black duck, he has appeared in cartoon series such as ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Mel ...

. The film is set in a

mad scientist The mad scientist (also mad doctor or mad professor) is a stock character of a scientist who is perceived as " mad, bad and dangerous to know" or "insane" owing to a combination of unusual or unsettling personality traits and the unabashedly am ...

's laboratory. This cartoon was colorized in 1968 (just after Seven Arts Productions, successor to

Guild Films A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular area. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradesmen belonging to a professional association. They sometimes ...

, to whom the TV distribution rights to the black-and-white cartoon library had been sold some time before, acquired Warner Bros.) by having every other frame traced over onto a cel. Each redrawn cel was painted in color and then photographed over a colored reproduction of each original background. The animation quality dropped considerably from the original version with this method. The cartoon was colorized again in 1992, this time with a computer adding color to a new print of the original black and white cartoon. This preserved the quality of the original animation (the end result also resembled the actual color cartoons released around the same time). Adding to the medical theme, the signatures of the personnel credited (McCabe, writer Don Christensen, animator Veve Risto and music composer

Carl Stalling Carl William Stalling (November 10, 1891 – November 29, 1972) was an American composer, voice actor and arranger for music in animated films. He is most closely associated with the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' shorts produced by War ...

) were featured in the opening credits, just as a doctor would sign a prescription.

Plot

While traipsing through the Ookaboochie

Swamp A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...

s, Daffy Duck seeks to deliver a telegram to "Chloe". Unable to find the telegram's recipient, and suffering from a severe case of

hiccups A hiccup (scientific name ''singultus'', from a Latin word meaning "to catch one's breath while sobbing"; also spelled hiccough) is an involuntary contraction ( myoclonic jerk) of the diaphragm that may repeat several times per minute. The hi ...

, he stumbles upon the home of " Dr. Jerkyl" and hopes that the physician can cure his condition. Daffy's hiccups are so severe that they cause him to damage or destroy everything around him. Dr. Jerkyl captures Daffy and restrains him to a doctor's chair. Hoping to scare Daffy in order to cure his hiccups, Dr. Jerkyl creates and drinks a potion that turns him into Chloe, a grotesque yet effeminate

ogre An ogre (feminine: ogress) is a legendary monster depicted as a large, hideous, man-like being that eats ordinary human beings, especially infants and children. Ogres frequently feature in mythology, folklore, and fiction throughout the world ...

. Daffy, realizing he has reached his destination, then reads Chloe the telegram: the lyrics to "

Happy Birthday To You "Happy Birthday to You", also known as "Happy Birthday", is a song traditionally sung to celebrate a person's birthday. According to the 1998 ''Guinness World Records'', it is the most recognised song in the English language, followed by " Fo ...

" (albeit spoken and not sung), sent to her by a Mr. Frank N. Stein. Chloe, who is enamored with Daffy (who in turn is now cured of his hiccups), chases the duck around the laboratory until the radio is accidentally switched on, prompting him/her to dance. Once the music ends, the chase resumes. Daffy scrambles to the lab table and mixes a potion, which turns Chloe into an

infant An infant or baby is the very young offspring of human beings. ''Infant'' (from the Latin word ''infans'', meaning 'unable to speak' or 'speechless') is a formal or specialised synonym for the common term ''baby''. The terms may also be used t ...

. As each brandishes a hammer insisting each one doesn't know the other that well (doing imitations of

Red Skelton Richard Red Skelton (July 18, 1913September 17, 1997) was an American entertainer best known for his national radio and television shows between 1937 and 1971, especially as host of the television program ''The Red Skelton Show''. He has stars ...

's "Mean Widdle Kid" character), the action moves offscreen, a large thud is heard, and the bird from the doctor's

cuckoo clock A cuckoo clock is, typically, a pendulum clock that strikes the hours with a sound like a common cuckoo call and has an automated cuckoo bird that moves with each note. Some move their wings and open and close their beaks while leaning forwards ...

displays a large sign reading “ He Dood It!”

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Impatient Patient, The 1942 films 1942 animated films 1942 short films 1940s animated short films Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde films Looney Tunes shorts Warner Bros. Cartoons animated short films Mad scientist films Daffy Duck films Films scored by Carl Stalling Films directed by Norman McCabe 1940s Warner Bros. animated short films